[Drama 2018] My Mister, 나의 아저씨 - Best Drama at 2019 (55th) BaekSang Arts Awards

[sadiesmith]

18 hours ago, anipanch said:

no offense to anyone who likes their pairing but the chemistry between LBH&KTR sucks. KTR has better chemistry with both other secondary male leads and I can't even compare mr sunshine main couple with LSK and IU, they were otherworldly. And frankly, I think LBH does a poor job at playing his character

 

@anipanch, good to see you again.  And thank you for saying what I wanted to say but didn't because I don't believe I could be objective.  Hahaha...  But yeah, I don't find LBH endearing in the slightest.  

 

On 8/30/2018 at 2:30 AM, ladyrini said:

Hahaha...okay, I was so wrong to ask that. No offense, guys

But seriously, I had watched LSK's movie "Paju". In this movie, he potrayed a man who loves his sister in-law deeply and I tried to compare with his role in MA. All I can say, MA is his best acting 'till date. His pairing with IU is absolutely the best. What do you guys think? Has anyone watched that movie?

 

LSK can make any pairing work, with male or female actors.  Some other personal favorites are with Choi Kang Hee (Petty Romance) and Gong Hyo Jin (Pasta).  I have watched almost all of his movies and dramas, and I agree that MA is his best acting to date.  I think the combination of a great script/character and an AMAZING director was what made this role so memorable, and perhaps not so much his own acting or the chemistry with IU.  Even I sometimes wonder if any other half-decent actor would have been able to bring Park Dong Hoon to life as well as he did, because the script and PD were that good.  Trust me, it pains me to admit this.  Do you guys agree?

[popai5]

Hi @widala, I'll give you my thoughts on PDH liking JA after I think about it a little bit. (I love your fanfic by the way. I read it today).

 

@sadiesmith I know I am late in responding to your request for writing about places. I've enjoyed reading about the five locations written about already. I had something I wanted to write about Ji-an's place so I'll be shameless and give you my thoughts below. It is not an analysis, Just rambling.

 

Ji-an's house. Address #1.

At the top of a long climb of concrete steps where the less affluent reside. The hard long climb representing the struggle the residents of the area deal with daily.

The cold, dark room with a small window. It provides the only rays of light in the depressing space. A small window to provide a small ray of hope. During summer it feels like an oven. In winter it is an ice box. One has to get warmth from whatever you can. A little heater. A cup of hot coffee. A few blankets. Something to help one survive. To beat back the cold harsh reality of life.

 

Yet it is home. Bare walls, sparse furnishings. It is nothing yet it is something. Somewhere one can gain comfort from as you rest. A place where you consume leftovers from work and drink coffee stolen from the office. Still it is something to protect. A place to fight for to maintain one's privacy and dignity. One can get beaten in exchange for a promise of keeping someone from stepping across the threshold. To protect the refuge for one's only family member you get hurt, you fight back. You do this for someone, the only one, you care for deeply.

 

That is until this man she really doesn't know breaks into her space. A space she wanted to keep private. He is someone she tried to harm without a second thought. Someone she has forced to buy her real food. Something to eat besides table scraps. He's just someone living in his life sentence of earnestness. But he is still there waiting to carry her precious grandmother so she can still savor her moments of happiness with her moon. Not being bumped about in a cold shopping cart but feeling the warm comfort of his back.

 

Then he says something to you that you have never heard in your life. It sounds strange to your ears. Are those words directed at me? "You are a good person". People put you down, ignore you and beat you but no one has acknowledged you before. Now you don't reside in a cold cave. You are human. This place is where you can sit and keep hearing that you are a good person even if you yourself don't believe it.

 

The room got lonely without grandmother. Your physical struggles lessen without her but your heart feels emptier. The heater, the coffee can't warm you. It is the sound of his voice, his breathing, his heavy footsteps that warm your heart and being. You want to reciprocate the warmth he gives you. The only thing you can do as he walks you home is a heartfelt 'fighting' before you climb the steps. He smiles. You feel warm.

 

Your world grows by meeting his friends. They walk you home. Treat you like family. They hail a neighbor you never noticed to watch over you. It is an impromptu housewarming. You feel obligated to show your appreciation. A "Thank you" emerges past your once beaten lips.

 

The cold dark room feels warmer. A bit brighter. But for him to live brighter it is time to leave. You must leave to find a new place to rest. No, just a place to lay your head.

 

Everything is left behind except for a backpack full of essential belongings. Grandmother is the only precious thing and she is safe.  All I need is my phone you think. I must still listen to him. He is my lifeline.

 

He came by just checking for cracks. Then he comes for another inspection and her belongings are outside and need to be stored. The neighbor agrees to be neighborly. Just checking  for cracks in a place full of cracks. He is trying to patch, perhaps heal, at least comfort the one most important to him. He doesn't know that his words already healed the crack in her heart.

 

She won't return to the room at the top of the stairs she has decided. Room #1. The small space, the womb that kept the #1 person in his heart. The room is empty and cold. The possessions are gone. The tenant left with sadness and nervousness but knowing that she is a good person. Knowing that she felt love.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, sadiesmith said:

 

@anipanch, good to see you again.  And thank you for saying what I wanted to say but didn't because I don't believe I could be objective.  Hahaha...  But yeah, I don't find LBH endearing in the slightest.  

 

 

LSK can make any pairing work, with male or female actors.  Some other personal favorites are with Choi Kang Hee (Petty Romance) and Gong Hyo Jin (Pasta).  I have watched almost all of LSK's movies and dramas, and I agree that MA is his best acting to date.  I think the combination of a great script/character and an AMAZING director is what makes this role so memorable, and perhaps not so much his own acting or the chemistry with IU.  Even I sometimes wonder if any other decent actor would have been able to bring Park Dong Hoon to live as well as he did, because the script and PD are that good.  Trust me, it pains me to admit this.  Do you guys agree?

Couldn't agree more. I believe after doing MA, our PDH aka LSK could be a number 1 actor in Korea. Can't wait to see his new movies where he will be showing us something different. Yes, after all this time, finally someone as MA's director had the gut to cast him in the role which is different than any roles he had been potrayed. Personally, I love seeing him act like PDH because his charisma is just mesmerizing.  

[widala]

10 hours ago, sadiesmith said:

 

@anipanch, good to see you again.  And thank you for saying what I wanted to say but didn't because I don't believe I could be objective.  Hahaha...  But yeah, I don't find LBH endearing in the slightest.  

 

 

LSK can make any pairing work, with male or female actors.  Some other personal favorites are with Choi Kang Hee (Petty Romance) and Gong Hyo Jin (Pasta).  I have watched almost all of LSK's movies and dramas, and I agree that MA is his best acting to date.  I think the combination of a great script/character and an AMAZING director is what makes this role so memorable, and perhaps not so much his own acting or the chemistry with IU.  Even I sometimes wonder if any other decent actor would have been able to bring Park Dong Hoon to live as well as he did, because the script and PD are that good.  Trust me, it pains me to admit this.  Do you guys agree?

 

This is interesting...

In the interview LSK did said that he used to adlib and rearrange his lines, but in MA he was directed to follow the script to a t.

Although, "just" following the script and the direction wouldn't be as easy as it sounds....

Also from the interview, PDH had a lot of "..." lines that LSK needed to interpret, the director and writer surely trust him to be able to do that properly.

And I'm sure he has other special qualities as actor and as a person that made the production team chose him as the lead...

 

I had fun thinking other actors who could play PDH. The first that comes to my mind is Ha Jung Woo (along with the gods) or Cho Jin Woong (signal, a hard day)... And I really like to see Park Sung Woong as PDH 

They are all excellent actors, but will Miss Lee Ji An consider any of them attractive?

 

@popai5 that's one excellent "rambling" 

So glad you enjoyed my fics... Thanks

[sadiesmith]

I don't think this interview has been posted before.  Wonder if this was the taped MNET interview.  There are two videos shown here.  What are they saying?

 

 

[africandramalover]

I'm so glad this thread is still running. I still check up on it several times a day, even as I check out the fansite. I even go to streaming sites and read the comments on the episodes, some up to around 400 comments! I'm not about to let go any time soon!! 

I have also never watched the BTS videos or interviews because I don't want to be pulled away from that world into the reality that it is a drama. That being said, I must confess I am a bit annoyed with the Japan interviews. I'm back to feeling cheated! Not because of the content, but because they cannot do the same in Korea. I still need a plausible explanation as to why Korea had such a problem with the drama! As someone mentioned upstairs, the drama may not even  get the awards it deserves, especially for Best Couple / Actor/ Actress. I can guess they'll wipe our tears away with an award for directing and the screenplay....

Anywhooo... enough of my whining...

 

I finally watched ep16. Unlike other dramas, my head was in overdrive from the first scene, looking for clues in anything, even in this scene where PDH stands on the sewer cover. I took a screenshot, just because...

 

Spoiler

 

What does that sign at the back say?

 

 

 

Seriously.... then as I start typing this, my head starts spinning theories. PDH stops at the cover because he's seen the monk who's come to bid Jung Hee goodbye. In the next scene they get a bouquet of yellow flowers. I'm not sure if anyone has analysed that bouquet, but the yellow color struck me as a symbol of friendship and nothing more (esp romantic), considering that Jung Hee was "finally going to be dumped officially". Back to the sewer cover.... 

 

The yellow road markings lead up to the sewer cover, and as I look at it, I'm thinking, hmmm, that looks like a flower!!! Especially because the yellow line ends at the sewer line. Why does it end there? Aren't the yellow lines on the edge and middle of a road? Especially considering that in the shot with the monk, the line goes at the edge of the road....

 

Spoiler

 

 

Why is this line haphazardly drawn?  Should the line end at a sewer cover? Shouldn't the line feed into the yellow line of the adjacent road? Why is this drama making me crazy??

 

Away from hyper-symbolism, there are few scenes that stood out this time.

 

1. The farewell that Ji An gives her grandmother in the morgue struck me as a goodbye to PDH. He is in the same room and is captured in the frame as she talks to her grandma. Why is he in the same frame in this moment that is technically supposed to be Ji An and her grandma? Or maybe the camera just swung that way... it's nothing.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

You can basically substitute grandma with Park Dong Hoon. She must have realized that it was the end of her and PDHs relationship since she was dealing with the criminal charges at the police station. They had basically reached the end of their road.

 

2. JA confronts YH about her affair

JA: Why would you cheat on a man like Mister?
YH: I could give you 100...no, 1,000 reasons why. I don't know if there is a real reason among those, but...

JA is not done with the topic. A bit later, JA comes back for YH....

JA: Among the things that Mister said most often... I think that one thing was the kindest thing he said. "Want me to buy anything on my way home?"

YH is dumbstruck.

 

Towards the end of the episode, after THE HUG, YH calls PDH,

 

DH: I'm heading home now. Want me to buy anything on the way home?

Spoiler

 

 

YH finally gets it.

 

Spoiler

 

It's all coming back to her now...

 

 

YH: Beer.

 

I loved that callback!!

 

[sadiesmith]

8 hours ago, africandramalover said:

Seriously.... then as I start typing this, my head starts spinning theories. PDH stops at the cover because he's seen the monk who's come to bid Jung Hee goodbye. In the next scene they get a bouquet of yellow flowers. I'm not sure if anyone has analysed that bouquet, but the yellow color struck me as a symbol of friendship and nothing more (esp romantic), considering that Jung Hee was "finally going to be dumped officially". Back to the sewer cover.... 

 

The yellow road markings lead up to the sewer cover, and as I look at it, I'm thinking, hmmm, that looks like a flower!!! Especially because the yellow line ends at the sewer line. Why does it end there? Aren't the yellow lines on the edge and middle of a road? Especially considering that in the shot with the monk, the line goes at the edge of the road....

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Why is this line haphazardly drawn?  Should the line end at a sewer cover? Shouldn't the line feed into the yellow line of the adjacent road? Why is this drama making me crazy??

 

 

@oldschooler talked a bit about the yellow roses in her countryside post.

 

 

As for the yellow markings on the road leading to the "sewer cover," I wonder if all of these are not just for product placement for this chicken restaurant.  The circle on which PDH stands looks suspiciously like the store's logo to the right of his head, and that's why the broken yellow lines don't seem to go anywhere, because they're not traffic lines at all!  Google translate says 꼬꼬닭 means cuckoo chicken. 

 

 

[sadiesmith]

http://picbear.online/tag/나의아저씨촬영지

 

What has this drama done to me?  Why does seeing these sites, especially the rail tracks, make me all choked up?

[widala]

This forum is so quite now... 

Has everyone move on?

 

Here's some treat for you guys

Park Dong Hoon's super rare smile 

 

[t123han]

I am still here .. silently listening on this forum. 

Its like a vicious  cycle , I don’t stop by that often because posting have reduced , since readers like me don’t stop by as much the activities have reduced in turn . 

I know it’s sad that all this will eventually come to an end. And I am so so sad that there are no new fanfic !! 

 

I have not moved in at all since I don’t plan to start any new drama. For the nth time , nothing has piqued my interest yet. 

PDH and LSK are still very very close to my heart and I will always remember them fondly henceforth. 

 

I just came across a movie called a rainy day in newyork by Woody Allen which is about a romantic relation between young girl and older man. Of course the movie has been shelved because of woody allen’s shady character in the wake of #metoo movement. I don’t know if he actually committed any crime but if there are strong accusations then it must be true. 

 

Anyhooooo... the movie immediately reminded me of MA. 

 

Coming to @africandramalover analysis above , imagine doing all those analysis and the signs just end of being PPL for cuckoo chicken. Looks like even the PPL are like hidden clue..he..he.. 

 

regarding that callback moment when YH says she wants beer , I too thought it was her remembering jian words. YH realises at that point that’s how PDH shows his love. 

Many people here had an opinion that maybe now YH wants to have a discussion and that’s why she said beer I don’t completely agree. I think it was just her way of acknowledging PDH love but than by that point he might be doing this just out of habit and the actual love has vanished. I believe that PDH being PDH they might have tried to give their loveless marriage a shot but it dint work out. And YH might have decided to move on rather than both of them being miserable staying in a loveless/sexless marriage.

 

 

 

[TAoJC]

Coming back here again, since the thread is still alive

One of the best drama !

A masterpiece, it has taught me so much! The characters were so amazing! Each one of them !!!

[widala]

2 hours ago, t123han said:

regarding that callback moment when YH says she wants bear , I too thought it was her remembering jian words. YH realises at that point that’s how PDH shows his love. 

Many people here had an opinion that maybe now YH wants to have a discussion and that’s why she said bear. I don’t completely agree. I think it was just her way of acknowledging PDH love but than by that point he might be doing this just out of habit and the actual love has vanished. I believe that PDH being PDH they might have tried to give their loveless marriage a shot but it dint work out. And YH might have decided to move on rather than both of them being miserable staying in a loveless/sexless marriage.

 

Agreed.

At first, PDH's offer to buy KYH something might be a way to show his love, like you said. To show that KYH was always in his mind. But later on it became just a habit.

In beginning of episode 9, LJA missed her train stop. PDH seemed at lost first, but then he went to the supermarket to do some (unnecessary) shopping for Mom. And he also called and texted KYH to ask if she want anything, but she didn't answer. 

PDH, using his own wife as an excuse to wait for LJA, aigooo... SMH 

[Guest]

On 9/2/2018 at 1:39 AM, sadiesmith said:

I don't think this interview has been posted before.  Wonder if this was the taped MNET interview.  There are two videos shown here.  What are they saying?

 

 

Yass...pls to anyone with heart of gold help us by translating what these cutie pies said. 

Edited September 3, 2018 by Guest
Please do not quote IGs! Thanks! :)

[t123han]

 So I have been wondering about this scene from ep 7 .

PDH treats jian with food and alcohol after coming to know that because of her throwing away the bribe money he eventually got to know about his wife affair. 

She says now that you feel pity towards me you don’t feel guilty anymore to buy me food. 

“ you just keep buying me meals” 

 

now my point - when did PDH buy her so many meals. If I remember the last meal they had was before she kissed him and after that they barely managed to reconcile again.

So when did he buy her so many meals ???? Is the director hinting that they must have met which was not shown to the viewer, the same way we hear from recording later on that they both had more intimate conversations than what was portrayed on screen. 

 

Any thoughts?? Did I misinterpret something ? 

 

 

 

[sadiesmith]

On 9/1/2018 at 11:28 PM, africandramalover said:

I even go to streaming sites and read the comments on the episodes, some up to around 400 comments! I'm not about to let go any time soon!! 

 

This comment above had me searching for streaming sites and reading comments.  Here's one site with a ton of entertaining comments under each episode.  It's interesting how each site seems to have its unique obsession, and this site seems to focus a lot on Yoon Hee's betrayal, at least up to episode 6.  In any case, these comments and a few I read elsewhere seem to sound a lot less guarded than those under Dramabeans recaps.

 

Overview

Episode 1

Episode 2...

Final episode

 

Edit: I got through reading all the comments and the love this show receives is something extra special.

[margeritta]

Any updates? Or is it to early? Already adding this to my 2018 drama list. For the woman in her 20 s character and the female lead I'm thinking...oooh there's a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

____________________________________________________________

 subwaysurfers psiphon hillclimbracing

[widala]

10 hours ago, t123han said:

now my point - when did PDH buy her so many meals. If I remember the last meal they had was before she kissed him and after that they barely managed to reconcile again.

So when did he buy her so many meals ???? Is the director hinting that they must have met which was not shown to the viewer, the same way we hear from recording later on that they both had more intimate conversations than what was portrayed on screen. 

 

There's one other time in episode 6 where PD bought LJA meals after the slapping incident

 

 

I guess for LJA those times PDH bought her meals was counted as "so many", because other people who had help her in the past didn't help her beyond four times..

[oldschooler]

On 8/26/2018 at 4:00 PM, t123han said:

 I too feel the same.  He is not afraid to even casually touch Jung Hee during those initial meeting when she was completely wasted. It shows that PDH is not allergic to female company !! He considers her his family hence is not uncomfortable around her like he gets around yoora. 

Coming to jian , that’s a totally different case. She is not just collegeue and not a family member going by the heart wrenching looks he gives her everytime he looks at her.

 

between is this yours ??

https://widala09.wordpress.com/

 

i stumbled  upon it today

I was just rewatching some of KWS's dramas, and I thought, "Oh Gwajang and Jang Geurae in Misaeng, that's platonic. Lee Je hoon and Kim Soohyun characters, that's platonic. DH and JA - not platonic." If KWS had wanted DH to be platonic towards JA, he knows how to make their relationship intimate and meaningful without being romantic. No, KWS knew what he was doing. Those "heart wrenching looks" were ace!

On 9/1/2018 at 3:35 AM, popai5 said:

Ji-an's house. Address #1.

At the top of a long climb of concrete steps where the less affluent reside. The hard long climb representing the struggle the residents of the area deal with daily.

The cold, dark room with a small window. It provides the only rays of light in the depressing space. A small window to provide a small ray of hope. During summer it feels like an oven. In winter it is an ice box. One has to get warmth from whatever you can. A little heater. A cup of hot coffee. A few blankets. Something to help one survive. To beat back the cold harsh reality of life.

 

Yet it is home. Bare walls, sparse furnishings. It is nothing yet it is something. Somewhere one can gain comfort from as you rest. A place where you consume leftovers from work and drink coffee stolen from the office. Still it is something to protect. A place to fight for to maintain one's privacy and dignity. One can get beaten in exchange for a promise of keeping someone from stepping across the threshold. To protect the refuge for one's only family member you get hurt, you fight back. You do this for someone, the only one, you care for deeply.

 

That is until this man she really doesn't know breaks into her space. A space she wanted to keep private. He is someone she tried to harm without a second thought. Someone she has forced to buy her real food. Something to eat besides table scraps. He's just someone living in his life sentence of earnestness. But he is still there waiting to carry her precious grandmother so she can still savor her moments of happiness with her moon. Not being bumped about in a cold shopping cart but feeling the warm comfort of his back.

 

Then he says something to you that you have never heard in your life. It sounds strange to your ears. Are those words directed at me? "You are a good person". People put you down, ignore you and beat you but no one has acknowledged you before. Now you don't reside in a cold cave. You are human. This place is where you can sit and keep hearing that you are a good person even if you yourself don't believe it.

 

The room got lonely without grandmother. Your physical struggles lessen without her but your heart feels emptier. The heater, the coffee can't warm you. It is the sound of his voice, his breathing, his heavy footsteps that warm your heart and being. You want to reciprocate the warmth he gives you. The only thing you can do as he walks you home is a heartfelt 'fighting' before you climb the steps. He smiles. You feel warm.

 

Your world grows by meeting his friends. They walk you home. Treat you like family. They hail a neighbor you never noticed to watch over you. It is an impromptu housewarming. You feel obligated to show your appreciation. A "Thank you" emerges past your once beaten lips.

 

The cold dark room feels warmer. A bit brighter. But for him to live brighter it is time to leave. You must leave to find a new place to rest. No, just a place to lay your head.

 

Everything is left behind except for a backpack full of essential belongings. Grandmother is the only precious thing and she is safe.  All I need is my phone you think. I must still listen to him. He is my lifeline.

 

He came by just checking for cracks. Then he comes for another inspection and her belongings are outside and need to be stored. The neighbor agrees to be neighborly. Just checking  for cracks in a place full of cracks. He is trying to patch, perhaps heal, at least comfort the one most important to him. He doesn't know that his words already healed the crack in her heart.

 

She won't return to the room at the top of the stairs she has decided. Room #1. The small space, the womb that kept the #1 person in his heart. The room is empty and cold. The possessions are gone. The tenant left with sadness and nervousness but knowing that she is a good person. Knowing that she felt love.

You write so intimately well @popai5! I feel like I'm in Ji An's head just by reading about her room. The last paragraph is heartbreaking. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I really like and enjoyed it.

 

@sadiesmith thanks for the location pics from picbear. I've been doing some digging, and found the location for LSK's favourite scene mentioned in the interview:

(from https://givemeslippers.wordpress.com/2018/08/11/iu-i-couldnt-even-bear-to-hear-the-soundtrack/)

 

I like this place because it looked quaint and quiet. Mulderim, or "watering place" (or is it water dream?), the place where the three brothers cried buckets (and Ji An and Yoon Hee on the phone too), where DH finally teaches his brothers what he needs and how he wishes to be comforted, where Ki Hoon saw a righteous man being totally broken. This was one of the three "countryside" (or outskirt?) places where we hear "amu geotto anida" - once in Jeongsusa Temple, once near grandma's nursing home, and finally here in Mulderim (I'm not counting the time when Yura said it in JungHee's bar). Every time DH comforts or is comforted by this phrase, he has to get away from Seoul.

 

Here's an article on Mulderim, they even gave the address  It's about 25km from Seoul, in Siheung City. It has a cafe and you can do cloth dyeing and soap making for a small fee.

천연염색 체험학습장 물들임까페: 물왕동 47-4, 402-1005

(pictures from http://m.culturein.co.kr/a.html?uid=8955)

Spoiler

 

Edited September 4, 2018 by Jillia
Please put more than 3 pics/IGs in spoiler tags, thanks!

[akhenaten]

Hello all.   nice to see some old friends coming back to visit.  I hope this is a sign that our fanfic writers will come round and update their stories soon. 

 

Just wanted to share that I finally managed to watch and enjoy another drama without comparing it to MA. However, it was from a totally different genre and polar opposites from MA so it was very easy for me to disassociate myself from MA while watching it. It's an old 2-episode mini-drama called "Splash Splash Love". All cuteness and fluff and just the right amount of angst. Perfect that I was able to enjoy it completely without analyzing the scenes and thinking how differently they were executed in MA. No point of comparison anyway. 

 

So to those who want to "get over" MA,  I would say you will have to accept the fact that you will never get over it. But if you keep MA in its rightful place among dramas (which is way up there) and lower your expectations a bit with the rest,  or even get into them with no expectations at all,  then you'll somehow get to enjoy other dramas. But of course MA will always be special. Nothing can compare,  really.  

[sadiesmith]

This is a super short, but at least recently shot, a CF promoting gum health: